Refrigerated water cooler



March 27, CANTER REFRIGERATED WATER COOLER Filed Jan. 6, 1955 INVENTOR.17735 ms ATTORNEY.

Unite grates REFRIGERATED WATER CUQLER Application January 6, 1955,Serial No. 480,173

2 Claims. (Cl. 62-441) This invention relates to refrigerated liquidcoolers and particularly to drinking water cooler cabinets.

In conventional liquid Water cooler cabinets of the type wherein anozzle, bubbler, fountain or other such element at the top of thecabinet discharges a stream of cool water for drinking purposes it has,due to the height of the top of the cabinet and the stream of cool waterdischarged thereover, been impossible for small children to obtain adrink therefrom. Heretofore, when a child has desired a drink of waterfrom such a water cooler cabinet it has been necessary for an adult tolift and hold the child at a proper elevated position at a side of thecabinet.

This is not a very delightful experience for the child and the parent oradult in addition to holding the child must also operate the cool waterdispensing lever, button or pedal on the cabinet and therefore such actis not satisfactory and becomes an awkward and troublesome task. Icontemplate the provision on a drinking water cooler cabinet of the typedescribed of means whereby a child may readily and easily obtain a drinkof cool water therefrom Without the presence and/ or assistance of anadult.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved and more usefuldrinking water cooler apparatus.

Another object of my invention is to provide a water cooler anddispensing cabinet of the top discharge fountain, nozzle or bubbler typefrom which a child may obtain a drink in the absence of an adult andwithout necessity of the child searching for an actuating means forstarting the flow of a. stream of cool water from the fountain.

A further object of my invention is to provide a drinking water coolercabinet of the type having a single fountain at the top thereof and avalve controlling the discharge of cool water therefrom with a pluralityof devices located at different elevations along the height of thecabinet and each of which devices is movable independently of the otherfor operating the valve actuator to cause flow of drinking water fromthe fountain so as to accommodate use of the water cooler by adultswithout requiring them to bend or stoop to an uncomfortable position,permitting the adults to have free use of their arms and hands while atthe same time alfording means whereby children unaccompanied andunassisted by an adult may obtain a drink.

A still further and more specific object of my invention is to provide adrinking water cooler'cabinet of the top discharge or fountain type,having a foot pedal adapted to be operated by an adult, with a movablestep'or ledge device located midway between the top and the bottom ofthe cabinet and connected with the actuating means of the fountain valvefor causing flow of cool water at the fountain in response to the weightof a child stepping upon or supported on the step or ledge portion ofthe device.

Further objects and advantages. of the present invention will beapparent from the following description, reference being had totheaccompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the presentinvention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of a water cooler cabinet I having myinvention embodied therein;

Figure 2 is a side view of the water cooler cabinet disclosed in Figure1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged broken fragmentary vertical sectional viewthrough the water cooler cabinet taken on the line 3-3 of Figure l; and

Figure 4 is a wiring diagram showing connections between movableelements incorporated in the present invention and the water valveactuating means of the drinking fountain.

Referring to the. drawings and particularly Figures 1 and 2, I show awater cooler cabinet 10 which includes outer metal panels 11 forming theback, front, and side walls thereof and a drain catch basin 12 on top ofthe cabinet. The drain opening in basin 12 is connected to a drain pipe13 which extends out of the back of cabinet 10 (see Figure 2). Suchcabinets ordinarily comprise a metal box-like frame 14 (see Figure 2)for supporting the top basin 12 and the panels 11. The interior ofcabinet 10 includes a machine compartment (not shown) which houses therefrigerant translating portion or refrigerant compressor-condenser-unitof a closed refrigerating system associated with cabinet 10. Theevaporator of this closed refrigerating system is normally insulated andis disposed in heat exchange relationship with a water cool ing tank orcoil (not shown) located in cabinet 10 for cooling water therein fordrinking purposes. This construction and arrangement is conventional andwell-known to those skilled in the art. The cold water storage tank orcoil. within cabinet 16 has an inlet pipe 16 leading from a source ofwater supply under pressure and extending through the back wall ofcabinet 10 (see Figure 2). The storage tank or coil also has an outletpipe 17 (see Figure 3) leading therefrom and connected to a valve 18adapted to be actuated by an electrically energized solenoid 19.Solenoid valve 13 is connected, by a pipe 21 (see Figure 3), to adischarge bubbler, a nozzle, or fountain 22 secured to the wall of topbasin 12 on cabinet 10. Most water coolers of this type are providedwith a pressure regulating or reducing valve (not shown) disposed eitherin the inlet pipe 16 or in the outlet pipe 1"] for limiting the pressureof the water at the discharge fountain 22 to provide a stream of wateremitted therefrom of proper height. This stream of water, cooled by thewater cooling means or evaporator of the refrigerating system, flowsupwardly and angularly from nozzle 22 over and into the basin 12 whenvalve 18 is opened. 7

The top or basin of water cooler cabinets of the type herein shown anddescribed are located at a predetermined height above the floor uponwhich a cabinet is supported to render it convenient for an adult todrink from a stream of cool Water discharged from the nozzle or fountainthereon. Such water cooler cabinets are usually provided with a handoperated means located at the top thereof or a foot operated pedallocated adjacent the bottom of the cabinet for actuating a valve tocontrol the flow of cool water from the discharge nozzle. Either issatisfactory as far as use of the water cooler cabinet by adults isconcerned. However, if a child desires a drink of cool water from thefountain on the cabinet he or she may be able to reach a top handoperated means to turn the water on, but the child is not tall enough tolocate his or her mouth in a position to drink from the water stream atthe fountain. Also if a child steps on a foot pedal at the bottom of awater cooler cabinet, to turn the water on, he or she is too short tothen drink from the water stream at the top of the cabinet. When a childdesires a drink from a water cooler cabinet of the type described, thepresence of an adult is necessary so that I the adult may lift the childinto a position suitable to permit his or her drinking from the fountainon the cabinet. In order to render a Water cooler cabinet of the typeherein shown universally usable, for children as well as adults, Iprovide means on such a cabinet whereby the child may step or climbupwardly on the cabinet into a standin position which will enable him orher to drink from the fountain thereon. also provide means whereby, whenthe child elevates himself or herself to a proper drinking position onthe water cooler cabinet, a stream of cool water is caused to flowautomatically from the fountain thereon, thus obviating the necessity ofthe child searching for a handle, button or lever to turn the water on.

The water cooler cabinet it herein disclosed is provided with a movablefoot operated pedal electric switch device located adjacent the bottomof the cabinet for use by adults to cause a stream of cool water to flowfrom the drinking nozzle or fountain 22. This device includes a pedal 26(see Figure 3) pivotally mounted upon cabinet 10, as at 27, and has itsone end 28 projecting outwardly through the front wall 11 thereof. Theinner end 29 of pedal 26 carries an electric switch such, for example,as a conventional mercury switch, indicated by the numeral 30,havingwires 31 and 32 extending from contacts thereon or therein. Any suitablemeans such as a spring or the like 33 may be employed for normallybiasing the outer end 28 of pedal 26 into its upper position whereby theswitch 39 on the inner end 29 of pedal 26 is maintained in an offposition. The wires 31 and 32 of mercury switch 30 are connected towires 36 and 37 respectively of an electric current supply circuit whichalso includes a wire 38 (see Figure 4). Wires 36 and 38 are connected tothe electrically energizable solenoid 19 which forms the means foractuating valve 18 in a manner as is common and now well-known to thoseskilled in the art. When an adult desires a drink of cool water from thefountain 22 on cabinet 1Q, he or she places a foot on the exposed end 28of pedal 26 and depresses this end of the pedal to cause movement of thepedal about its pivotal mounting 2.? for raising the inner end 29thereof as shown by the dot-dash lines in Figure 3 of the drawings. Asthe end 29 of pedal device 26 rises, the mercury in switch 31b bridgesthe contacts to which the wires 31 and 32 are attached and thereby makesor completes the electric circuit to solenoid 19 through wires 37, 32,.31, 36, and 38 to energize same and cause it to actuate valve 18 intoopen position. This opening of valve 18 directs water, cooled by theevaporator of the refrigerating system within cabinet i to and out ofthe fountain or nozzle 22 which water flows in a stream upwardly andlaterally therefrom over the basin 12 for drinking purposes. When thepressure of the adults foot is released from the foot operated electricswitch device, spring 33 returns the pedal 26 to its normal position, asshown in full lines of Figure 3 of the drawings. The mercurydn switch 39then flows out of bridging engagement with the contacts thereof forbreaking or opening the electric circuit to the valve actuating means orsolenoid 19 whereby this solenoid is deenergized and the valve 18 closesto stop the flow of cool water from the fountain.

The water cooler cabinet 10 herein disclosed is also provided with amovable step-like electric switch device having a ledge projectingthrough the front wall 11 thereof and located at a height thereonintermediate the lower movable foot operated electric switch device andthe top of cabinet 10 or the nozzle 22, thereon (see Figures 1 and 2).This device includes a member 41 pivotally mounted upon cabinet 1%, asat 42, and has a step or ledge-like end 43 projecting outwardly of. thefront side wall 11 of cabinet 1 The member a l has an inner end portion44 which carries an electric switch such as a conventional mercuryswitch indicated at '5. Wires 46 and 47 extend from contacts of switch45 and are connected to the wires 36 and 37 respectively in the electriccircuitv disclosed in Figure 4 of the drawings. A spring or the likebiasing means 4-8, having its one end secured to member 41 and its otherend secured to a part of cabinet 10, holds the step-like end 43 ofmember 41 in a desired location to normally maintain switch 45 in an offposition. The step-ledge 43 of member 41 is disposed at a predeterminedheight on the front of cabinet lil suitable to permit a child to elevatehimself or herself into a standing position thereon whereby he or shemay drink from the fountain 22. In order that a child may have somemeans to assist it in climbing or stepping upon the stepledge 43, Iprovide and rigidly secure an exposed handle or handles 49 to thecabinet it in spaced relation to walls 11 thereof, intermediate thestep-ledge device and the top of the cabinet. Each of these handles 49forms an elevated handheld at the sides of cabinet 10 (see Figures 1 and2) for assisting a child in a manner to be presently described. Thisstep-like electric switch device is movable and operable in response tothe weight of a child standing on or supported upon the step-ledge 43thereof. When a child, unaccompanied by an adult, desires a drink ofcool water from the fountain of water cooler cabinet 10, he or shegrasps the handhold or holds 49 and steps upon the step-ledge 43. Thepresent arrangement is such that the weight of the child upon steppingon and being supported by the step-ledge 43 moves the member 41 aboutits pivotal mounting 42 to raise its inner end 44 into the positionshown by the dotdash lines in Figure 3 of the drawings. The end 44 ofmember 41 upon being elevated causes the mercury in switch 45 to bridgethe contacts thereof to which wires 46 and 47 are attached and make orcomplete the electric circuit to solenoid 19 through wires 37, 47, 46,36, and 38 to energize same and cause it to actuate valve 18 into openposition. Valve 1% is thus automatically opened, in response to thechilds weight on step or ledge 43 of the movable step-like'electricswitch device, and cool water flows in a stream from fountain or nozzle22 for affording the child a drink. When the child steps down off thestep-ledge 43, after drinking, spring 3 returns the pivotally mountedmember 41 to its normal position, shown in full lines in Figure 3 of thedrawings, and the lowering of end 44 of member dll causes the mercury inswitch 45 to break or open the electric circuit to solenoid 19 whereuponvalve 13 closes and stops the flow of cool water out of nozzle orfountain 22..

While I have illustrated the foot operated device and the step-ledgedevice as being pivotally mounted upon cabinet 10, it is obvious thatthese devices may be mounted in any suitable or desirable manner formovement relative to the cabinet so as to carry out the function orresult intended thereof. it is to be understood that either of theelectric switch devices disclosed upon being moved in the mannerdescribed will cause energization and operation of the water valveactuating means or solenoid 19 to open valve 18 independently of oneanother. Due to the average height of water cooler cabinets of the typedisclosed not being very tall and due to their containing considerableweight, that of the refrigerating system and Water storage tank or coil,there is no likelihood of the water cooler cabinet 10 tipping forwardwhen a child climbs or steps up on the stepledge 43.

From the foregoing, it should be apparent that I have provided animproved refrigerated water cooler cabinet and have increased its use byenabling children, without the help of an adult, to obtain a drink ofcool water therefrom. Children do not posssess a natural instinct tosearch for or operate a valve actuating means on a water cooler. Thus,the feature of constructing the step-ledge of the one electric switchdevice so that it is moved in response to the weight of a child steppingand standing thereon, for automatically causing flow of cool water fromthe fountain, obviates the necessity of a child searching for andoperating such a valve actuating means. By the arrangement disclosed, achild can, himself or herself, obtain a drink of cool water from thewater cooler cabinet unassisted by an adult, even though one is presentand this prevents soiling of the adults clothing.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosedconstitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other formsmight be adopted, as may come within the scope of the claims whichfollow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A water cooling and dispensing apparatus comprising'in combination, acabinet having a water supply inlet thereto, means in said cabinet forcooling water entering same through said inlet, a drain catch basin onsaid cabinet, a nozzle for discharging a stream of water cooled by saidcooling means upwardly over and into said basin, a valve for controllingthe flow of water from said nozzle, means for actuating said valve, saidvalve actuating means including a manually movable device on saidcabinet and a step-like device projecting outwardly from a side wall ofsaid cabinet at a height thereon intermediate the bottom thereof andsaid nozzle, said steplike device being adapted to support a childthereon in a position permitting the child to drink from a stream ofwater flowing from said nozzle, said step-like device being movable inresponse to the weight of a child stepping thereon, means connectingeach of saiddevices with said water valve actuating means wherebymovement of either of said devices independently of the other causesoperation of said valve actuating means to open said valve, and a handhold on a side wall of said cabinet intermediate said step-like deviceand the top of said catch basin for assisting the child in steppingupwardly upon said elevated step-like device and for maintaining himselfor herself balanced thereon while drinking from the stream of water.

2. A water cooling and dispensing apparatus comprising in combination, acabinet having a water supply inlet thereto, means in said cabinet forcooling water entering same through said inlet, a drain catch basin onsaid cabinet, a nozzle for discharging a stream of water cooled by saidcooling means upwardly over and into said basin, a valve for controllingthe flow of water from said nozzle, means for actuating said valve, saidvalve actuating means including a movable foot-operated pedal devicelocated on said cabinet adjacent the bottom thereof and a step-likedevice projecting outwardly from a side wall of said cabinet at a heightthereon intermediate said foot pedal device and said nozzle, saidstep-like device being adapted to support a child in a standing positionthereon to permit the child to drink from a stream of water flowing fromsaid nozzle, said step-like device being movable in response to a childstepping thereon, means connecting said footoperated pedal device andsaid step-like device with said water valve actuating means wherebymovement of either of said devices causes operation of said valveactuating means to open said valve, and a hand hold on said cabinetintermediate said steplike device and the top of said catch basin forassisting the child in stepping upon said elevated step-like device andfor maintaining himself or herself balanced in a standing positionthereon while drinking from the stream of water.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS924,046 Ellman June 8, 1909 2,450,113 Burchett Sept. 28, 1948 2,529,782Morrison Nov. 14, 1950

